Amane stared at Haruki's hand pointing toward the door.
For a moment, the calm on her face cracked.
She couldn't even remember the last time someone had treated her like this certainly not in years. A part of her was indignant. Is this how young creators behave now? She was a senior figure in the industry, after all. She came to speak civilly. And yet here he was, brushing her off after just a few sentences?
Still, she didn't show her irritation. She hadn't lasted this long in the industry by losing her temper at every slight. But Haruki's tone, the casual way he dismissed her authority—it stung more than she expected.
What frustrated her even more was that he had every right to do it.
Haruki wasn't one of those greenhorns she could intimidate. His works drove sales, not hers. And he clearly had no interest in office politics.
"Are you really not going to reconsider my proposal?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level.
"I've said everything I need to," Haruki replied, arms crossed. "No matter how many times you come, my plan won't change."
"I know ending two flagship series will shake things up at Shroud Line, but I also know I can create better works. If there's something else you need to discuss, say it now. Otherwise... let's not waste time."
There was no aggression in his voice. Just certainty.
Haruki knew this came off as disrespectful, but sometimes, you had to be direct. If he acted too polite, people like Amane would just keep coming back.
She wanted him to keep Initial D and Natsume's Friends running for years, riding their success while she built her name as editor-in-chief. But dragging out stories just for profit would backfire eventually. Fans weren't stupid. If the quality dropped, it'd be Haruki who took the blame.
He had no intention of becoming that kind of artist.
If Amane was smart, she'd understand that maintaining a professional relationship was still better than forcing a confrontation. A public fallout between a new editor-in-chief and one of the company's biggest creators wouldn't help either of them.
After a long pause, Amane let out a quiet sigh.
Outside Haruki's apartment, Amane walked away slowly, her expression dark.
She hadn't expected him to agree easily, but the complete lack of flexibility—that annoyed her. And yet, she couldn't do much about it. Not now.
There were six other major manga publishers in Tokyo. If she pushed too hard, she might end up driving him into the hands of a rival company. That wouldn't just hurt Shroud Line, it would embarrass her.
She clenched her fists. She'd have to wait and see. But in her mind, the resentment toward Haruki was already taking root.
That afternoon, at T-Bone Animation Studio.
It was nearly July now, and the production of into the Abyss was in full swing. Only three months remained until the premiere, and the whole team was pushing harder by the day.
Ryuko, the voice actress for the protagonist, had just wrapped up another long day of recording. Tired and starving, she wandered to a nearby ramen shop she'd been to before.
Just as she stepped inside, she spotted a familiar face.
It was Saya, the producer for her current anime project.
Saya sat alone at a table, mid-phone call and visibly upset.
"I told you already, I haven't had any contact with your wife," she snapped, voice low but furious. "Not since she married you, not since she moved away. So what exactly do you want from me?"
She paused, listening, then scoffed. "She wants a divorce? How is that my problem? I haven't spoken to her in over a year."
Another pause. "Don't bring up reconciliation. And don't pin it on me. Who knows how many exes your wife has?"
Ryuko blinked, confused. It sounded like... someone was blaming Saya for their marital problems?
She definitely wasn't going to walk over and say hi right now. She quietly took a table on the opposite side of the shop, ordered a bowl of ramen, and kept her head down.
Eventually, Saya slammed some money on the table, hung up, and stormed out.
Ryuko exhaled. Well, that was awkward.
She glanced toward the street just outside the shop and for a split second, something caught her attention. A figure, maybe? She wasn't sure.
A second later, she stood up, paid, and slipped out.
Saya's apartment was about ten minutes from the ramen shop.
She walked alone, as usual, turning into a narrow alley that cut through a quieter part of the neighborhood.
She'd used this path a hundred times.
But halfway through, a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder and slammed her against the wall.
Her back hit the bricks hard. She gasped.
"What the hell!?"
In front of her stood a man. Broad shoulders. Angry eyes.
"You—who are you?" she coughed, struggling to breathe.
"You seriously forgot?" he growled. "We just talked on the phone."
Her eyes widened. No way.
"I already told you, I haven't seen your wife. I haven't spoken to her since—!"
He raised a hand to strike.
Saya flinched, covering her face instinctively.
But the blow never landed.
When she opened her eyes, the man's face twisted in pain. He gasped, staggered, then collapsed to the ground, hands covering his lower body.
Behind him stood Ryuko, face pale but focused, one leg still slightly raised from the kick she'd just landed.
"Are you hurt?" Ryuko asked, pulling Saya away from the wall.
Saya blinked. "...Ryuko?"
Shout out to Alon3 for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)
[Note:- I'll be permanently shifting the chapter release time, as the current schedule has been too tight. I haven't had enough time to revise the parts I'm not happy with, so from now on, chapters will be posted about 12 hours later than our usual release time. Thanks for understanding!]